Roronoa Zoro/Carattere e relazioni
Carattere Zoro mantiene solitamente un atteggiamento serio e severo, anche se spesso assume uno stile esageratamente comico. È estremamente intimidatorio e spaventa facilmente gli avversari deboli con lo sguardo. Urouge sostiene che quando stava per uccidere un nobile mondiale è stato posseduto da una furia omicida, mentre il ministro della destra crede che sia un killer nato. Ciononostante rimane una persona di buon cuore. Quando combatte con persone deboli o innocenti preferisce usare la parte non affilate delle spade per non ferirli gravemente. Possiede una grande leadership e un forte senso di ragionamento. Pur non essendo un samurai, si rifiuta di attaccare alle spalle (a meno che i suoi compagni siano in pericolo di vita) e considera una cicatrice sulla schiena un grande disonore per uno spadaccino. Rispetta le decisioni del suo capitano e non esita a sottolineare la gravità di situazioni che i suoi compagni trascurano (in particolare quando volevano far rientrare Usop nella ciurma dopo che il cecchino ha sfidato Rufy a duello per la Going Merry ed ha perso). Una gag ricorrente è il suo pessimo senso dell'orientamento che lo porta a smarrirsi e a non comprendere le direzioni. Ad Alabasta scambia le parole "nord" e "su" e durante il viaggio verso Drum mantiene la rotta della nave seguendo le nuvole (che possono spostarsi e cambiare forma). Tuttavia dopo il salto temporale arriva per primo alle Sabaody, scioccando Sanji, anche se è stato aiutato da Perona. Ha anche confuso un galeone pirata per la piccola barca di un pescatore. Another running gag of the series is Zoro's ability to effortlessly deliver perfectly timed lines in passing or even during battle that are deemed "cool" by other characters, leading him to be borderline worshiped and idolized especially by crewmates Usopp, Chopper, and Brook. Tende a togliersi le bende anche quando non è completamente guarito, sostenendo che rendono difficili i movimenti, solo per essere sgridato da Chopper che gli dice che servono proprio per non permettergli di muoversi. Zoro is very proud of the reputation he has built for himself both as a swordsman and as "The Pirate Hunter", starting with his 60,000,000 bounty which has doubled since then. He also enjoys the fact that he has a higher bounty than Sanji. During the assault on Enies Lobby, one of the Marines referred to Zoro as "Luffy's underling" much to the delight of Sanji, who quickly became infuriated when Zoro pointed out that Sanji's lack of notoriety puts him below Zoro in status. Since then, once in a while to anger Sanji, Zoro will refer to him as "Pirate A". More recently he has been calling Sanji "#7", referring to his order of arrival at Sabaody. However, in spite of his personal pride and self-respect, Zoro has shown to be willing to lower himself to the ground in complete humility for the sake of his friends, as was seen when he begged Bartholomew Kuma to spare Luffy's life in exchange for his own (Zoro's). And then again when he shamelessly bowed before Dracule Mihawk, begging the Shichibukai who is his enemy, to train him in the ways of the sword. While the crew sails from one island to another, he normally spends time lifting weights or napping, only to be regularly awakened in a rather violent way by Nami, Sanji, or (accidentally) Luffy. He cares greatly for his swords and often holds them close while napping and was considerably upset when his Yubashiri was destroyed. He also likes to drink alcohol (sake), almost to the degree that Luffy loves meat, and Nami loves money. Also like Nami, he has an inhumanly-high tolerance for alcohol. He also regularly reverts to drastic measures to solve simple problems, suggesting solutions that others would normally consider to be their last possible, worst-case-scenario choices. When he and Usopp were accidentally handcuffed together, Zoro's first suggested solution was to cut off one of their hands. In addition, when he, Vivi and Nami were stuck on Mr. 3's candle set, he actually tried to cut his own feet off in an attempt to escape. He also is one of the first Straw Hat members to suggest killing someone or threatening to kill someone.One Piece Manga - Vol. 4, 8, Chapters 28, 70, Zoro threatens to kill Nami for using him to climb an oily slope by dragging him down instead and stepping on his head to climb to dry ground. After catching up to her, he states with a serious look on his face he will cut Nami to pieces for her betrayal. Zoro can also be very vigorous when he is determined to achieve a goal or defeat an enemy. The risks that he will often take to pursue his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman often leave others wondering if he is crazy. As far as Zoro is concerned though, only he has the right to call himself "crazy." However, he is able to accept defeat when he perceives it to be inevitable. Also, as pointed out during the Skypiea Arc, Zoro does not care if any gods exist or not. When Zoro has the intention to fight seriously, he ties his bandana (normally kept tied around his left arm) around his head. Zoro lives for the thrill of combat; Scratchmen Apoo commented on his "insane killing intent", acknowledging that Zoro was a "real beast". Indeed, when an average human has the intention of fighting Zoro, his glare alone is usually enough to make them back off. He also has a habit of smiling in satisfaction whenever he faces a particularly skilled opponent, which often unnerves both friend and foe alike. Even when not in combat, he often displays a manic smirk that gives the impression of him being a monster. Zoro is also very perceptive, something he demonstrates by providing important and logical decisions at critical times and by evaluating the situation from an objective point of view, as he did in Water 7 by evaluating the best way to handle what, at the time, seemed like Robin's betrayal, and again when the crew wanted to bring Usopp back after he challenged Luffy to a duel over the Going Merry and lost. Zoro is the one who noted that Usopp was at fault for leaving the crew of his own accord. However, while on some occasions he can be the voice of reason, most of the time Zoro rushes into things and leaves it to fate to decide the details, much to the horror of crew members as he fails to see his own fault. He seems to have a very strong belief in fate and destiny in general, making him very similar to members of Blackbeard's crew in several aspects. He is even known to resort to methods like drawing sticks or casting lots whenever the Straw Hats need to choose someone to do a particular task. One of the most obvious instances of this is when he took an interest in the cursed blade, Sandai Kitetsu, and left it up to fate to decide if he would wield it by testing his luck against the sword's curse; he tossed the sword spinning into the air and extended his left arm into its falling path, to see if it would cut him, fully aware that the sword was sharp enough to easily amputate his arm. This is later shown again after the two year timeskip when he tells the pirates of the ship he had just destroyed to blame fate for him ending up on their ship. Unlike some of the members of the crew, Zoro does not shrink from the idea of using deadly force against dangerous enemies and has been noted by several of his fellow Supernovas to be capable of exuding a tremendous amount of murderous intent. While he is quite indifferent to the gender or/and age of his opponents, many of his adversaries (like Tashigi and Monet) seem to believe he does not take women seriously when in fact it is only because Tashigi reminded him too much of Kuina and that Monet was merely distraction. When the latter tried to take advantage of this belief he cut her down without hesitation, only refraining from killing her because she was too weak to even be considered a proper opponent, using a non-Haki strike in lieu of a blunt attack. He also seems to have taken a liking to fishing. Relationships Crew Though not as much with strangers, Zoro is always ready to protect and save his comrades whenever they are in danger, even at the cost of his own life. For example, in Skypiea, when he noticed the Going Merry being dragged away, he told everyone to leave the ship, saying he would stay back alone and protect it. Furthermore, he was willing to trade his life for Luffy's when Kuma first attacked the Straw Hats and he knocked Sanji unconscious when the latter tried to intervene. Another example is when Usopp was trying to escape from a Pacifista while dragging an injured Zoro; during which, despite the severity of his injuries, he told Usopp to escape and let him fight, which the latter objected against. Sanji Zoro is always shown to compete with Sanji and getting into fights with each other over petty matters, often at inopportune moments. This extends to Sanji's cooking, as Zoro rarely acknowledges its quality usually just calling it "okay". However, when the pair fight together against a common foe, they are nearly an unstoppable team. Despite their comical fights and rivalry, they have a brotherly trust and care between them they would never admit to. Zoro also has a habit of insulting Sanji when he is flirting with Nami or Robin. Both have common insulting nick names they call each other. Zoro usually calls Sanji "dartboard brow", "ero-cook" or "dumbass cook"; whereas Sanji often calls Zoro "marimo" (moss head), "shitty marimo" or "shitty swordsman". This has gotten to the point where Zoro has never actually referred to Sanji by his name. During the Little Garden Arc, Sanji and Zoro unknowingly took on a similar challenge of dinosaur meat hunting to the one the two legendary giants Dorry and Brogy started 100 years ago (the giants were competing to see who could catch the larger Sea King). From that, and the inhuman amount of power the two possess, their rivalry is similar to legendary status. After the timeskip Zoro still argues with Sanji and has referred to him as "Number 7" and himself as "Number 1" referring to the order in which they arrived at Sabaody Archipelago. Additionally after the nose bleeding problem Sanji went through, particularly during their adventures in Fishman Island, Zoro invented a new insulting nickname for Sanji "Mr Nose Bleed" which he first used when the battle against the New Fishman Pirates began. Despite Sanji and Zoro's rivalry, however, it can be noted that they work well together as a team, as emphasized by their fight against Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan. Friends Koshiro Koshiro is Roronoa Zoro's teacher and Kuina's father. One day, a young Zoro came to his dojo for a challenge. Koshiro pitted Zoro against his daughter Kuina and stated that if Zoro loses, he would become a student of the dojo. Zoro accepted the challenge and lost and became Koshiro's student as agreed. On the day after Zoro and Kuina made their vow, Kuina had fallen down the stairs while trying to get a sharpening block and died. On Zoro's request, Koshiro handed him the family's Meito Wadō Ichimonji. After the Enies Lobby incident, Koshiro was seen again in his dojo when his students were asking him about Zoro. He wished Zoro to go on ahead and fulfill his dream. Koshiro also stated that as long as Zoro treasures his sword, it will not matter what person he becomes. Zoro is grateful to Koshiro for teaching him the sword and giving him the Meito Wadō Ichimonji. He states that he can not lose this sword no matter what. In addition, he remembers his words while he is fighting a tough opponent or while he is on the verge of death. Kuina Zoro was also childhood rivals and friends with Kuina. He never managed to beat her (losing 2001 straight matches), and aspired to be just as strong as she was. After their 2001st duel, Kuina admitted that, because she was a girl, she believed that as their bodies matured she would one day inevitably lose to Zoro in strength, even though she, like Zoro, dearly wanted to become the world's best. Zoro was annoyed that if he one day surpassed her, she would believe that it was because of her body and not his strength. He made a promise with her that someday one of them would become the world's greatest swordsman. She died soon after in an accident. Zoro holds his vow to Kuina dearly and, whenever he comes close to death (such as during the events with Morgan and Dracule Mihawk), he recalls his memory of her to spur him on. He currently wields her sword, Wado Ichimonji, and intends to achieve their dream to fulfill his promise to her. Enemies Marines Zoro is considered the largest threat and most dangerous member in the crew after Luffy. Thus, the Marines consider him as a powerful villain. Zoro has a unique relationship with Tashigi of the Marines. Tashigi and Zoro met in Loguetown, where she helped him search for a new katana. Zoro defeated her once when she attacked him after finding out that he was a pirate, but refused to fight her again in later confrontations due to her uncanny resemblance to his childhood friend, Kuina. Before the timeskip, whenever he saw her, he would run away claiming that she is the one person he cannot fight. However, after the timeskip, Zoro now seems to have gotten used to her appearance and when they clashed during the Punk Hazard Arc, Zoro did not seem uncomfortable anymore and even commented how she has no will to fight. Due to her resemblance to Kuina, however, he seems to have a soft spot for Tashigi and saves her first from Monet, and later again after Tashigi has passed out and poison gas is entering the room by carrying her on his shoulder. After Luffy accidentally broke a newly finished statue of Morgan, the captain immediately set after him (considering that he was about to have one of his men killed for just scratching the statue, this is rather humorous as it occurs just as he was about to do the deed), confronting Luffy in the courtyard of the Marine base. Morgan was defeated by Luffy without even landing a single blow, though he was finished off by Zoro as Luffy had to deal with Helmeppo holding Coby hostage. During the Buster Call attack Zoro encountered Shu who had the power of the Sabi Sabi no Mi and successfully destroyed one of Zoro's swords, Yubashiri, with ease. In the anime, he was shown to challenge Zoro to a fight. After destroying Yubashiri, Shu was rendering Zoro immobile with his Devil Fruit powers but was then knocked out by Sogeking's Firebird Star. The Eleven Supernovas Jewelry Bonney Jewelry Bonney first encounters Zoro when he stumbles into town and casually addresses Saint Charloss, prompting the latter to shoot. Being unaware of what was happening; Zoro almost killed him in retaliation. Fortunately, Bonney was able to restrain him and diffuse the situation by faking his death. While exasperated at how clueless Zoro could be for not knowing who Charloss is and the repercussions of killing him would be, she became even more confused when he picked up a man who had previously been shot by Charloss and carried him to a nearby hospital. Urouge Urouge has shown respect for Zoro for standing up and attempting to kill a Tenryuubito, while he himself preferred to "sit it off". He also pondered the strength of the Straw Hat Captain, to have such an incredible person as Zoro with such a high bounty serve under him. Scratchmen Apoo While witnessing Saint Charloss abuse a citizen, Scratchmen Apoo was suddenly shocked when a newly-arrived Roronoa Zoro tried to defend the man. Fortunately for Apoo and his crew, Jewelry Bonney stopped Zoro and faked the swordsman's death in order to prevent an incident from occurring. Though danger was averted, Apoo sensed a strong killing intent from Zoro as he witnessed the scene, labeling him a "beast". Capone Bege Capone Bege was first seen witnessing Roronoa Zoro walking in the path of a World Noble, nearly causing the call for an admiral to the archipelago, if not for the intervention of Bonney. He also noted that even if the Straw Hat Pirates were as crazy as rumors would have it, Zoro was truly insane for drawing his blade against a Tenryuubito. Bartholomew Kuma Zoro holds a high value of respect towards Kuma. He was the first enemy since Mihawk that completely defeated him. When they first met, after a short fight Zoro knew he had no chance against his superior might. He pleaded with the Shichibukai to spare Luffy's life in exchange for his. Touched, Kuma obliged and used his powers to sap the pain and damage from Luffy's unconscious body and gave it to Zoro. Kuma later remarked to himself that Dragon's son has a good crew. Zoro met Kuma once again at Sabaody Archipelago and thanked him for taking pity on him at Thriller Bark and sparing him. Kuma saved Zoro from Admiral Kizaru, teleporting him far away. Zoro found Kuma to be a very honorable man. Rival Swordsmen During his journey, Zoro has also made or met many rival swordsmen. Usually after defeating his opponent, the opponent admits defeat gracefully and Zoro and his opponent act friendly to one another (Daz Bones and Kaku both smiled after losing to Zoro, Ryuma gave up his sword to Zoro, and Hatchan later becomes an ally). Dracule Mihawk There is only one swordsman who Zoro aims to defeat in order to become the world's best swordsman and that is none other than Dracule Mihawk. Even though Zoro was outmatched during their battle at the Baratie, Mihawk comes to respect Zoro and allows him to live so he can grow stronger. After the Whitebeard War, Zoro is willing to put down his pride and begged Mihawk to train him in order to become stronger for his crew. Mihawk tells Zoro to go, because he believes that such an idea is foolish and he assumes that Zoro is simply incapable of defeating the baboons. However, Zoro had already defeated the baboons, and wanted Mihawk to train him so that he may one day defeat Mihawk himself. He notices that Zoro is putting his pride aside all for the sake of his captain. Mihawk gives in and tells Perona to heal Zoro so they can begin his training, which takes place during the next two years. Daz Bones Having a steel body thanks to his Devil Fruit powers, Mr. 1 was able to withstand all of Zoro's attacks. Despite this advantage, Zoro was also able to withstand Daz's attacks. As the battle continued, Mr. 1 attacked Zoro progressively more brutally with each attack. Much to Mr. 1's surprise, no matter what he did, Zoro would not fall regardless of the wounds inflicted upon him. In the apex of the battle with his opponent completely covered with blood and wounds, Mr. 1 decided to finish Zoro once and for all. However at that very moment, Zoro was finally able to slash through Mr. 1's steel body. Ryuma Set aflame, Ryuma accepted defeat and decided to give Zoro his sword, heavily believing that the soul of the sword would be most satisfied to serve under the man who defeated its preceding owner. With the corpse housing it destroyed, Brook's shadow rejoined its rightful owner's feet. This made the skeleton rejoice completely. Zoro then replied that it was alright that the zombie lost as long as he was ashamed. Zoro stated he would've liked to have known Ryuma while he was still alive and accepted the samurai's sword as a gift of honorable defeat. Zoro however praised the zombie. Even while it was dying, it still retained the honorable spirit of a swordsman. Zoro stated that he will just pretend the fight he had with the samurai's desecrated corpse never happened. Hyouzou At Fishman Island, Zoro also made Hyouzou his enemy. When Hyouzou goes on a rampage after consuming the Energy Steroids and tries to attack Robin, Zoro intercepts the octopus merman before he reaches her. Zoro comments that Hyouzou will be a good warm-up for the New World, but the octopus swordsman was not a match for Zoro who defeated him effortlessly. Kin'emon The Straw Hats met a samurai named Kin'emon at Punk Hazard. Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, and Robin first found his legs, his body having been divided up by Trafalgar Law. They soon met up with the other Straw Hats who had his head, and Sanji later helped retrieve his torso from the lake. Kin'emon then demonstrated his swordsmanship on Smiley. By attacking with and cutting fire, he was able to clear the way of the slime and even cut through the subsequent explosion caused by their detonation after being ignited. Zoro developed a respect towards the samurai, as both are warriors of honor, and for his skills and way of fighting. His respect for the samurai is great enough for Zoro to offer to help find Kin'emon's son Momonosuke and wishes to learn about his fighting style, .